Stacking the Shelves [16]: I'm Going on a Book-Buying Ban!

Stacking the shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and it's all about sharing the books that have come into your possession throughout the week, whether it books added to your collection, ebooks, library books, etc. Sunday post is a weekly meme  hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer where bloggers can recap their week, showcase books, and share news.

**all goodreads links are available through the picture of the cover**

Target

 

So, I went to Target to get travel-sized things for my trip to Peru (YAY!) and walked out with two books (yay?). I was really shocked to see Very Good Lives  sitting on the shelf for 30% off, and I have been contemplating snagging it off amazon. Clearly, I had to buy it. I was going to pick up a different book (the collector's edition of Fangirl ) when I saw this cover of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl , which I weirdly like more than the original.

Wal-Mart

 

I went to Wal-Mart to . . . I don't remember because I think I literally was just around a Wal-Mart and decided to see what books they had (because books are never list price and I am cheap). I saw P.S. I Still Love You , and I immediately snatched it off the shelves. At this point, I hadn't read To All the Boys I've Loved Before , so I picked this one up solely on how much people recommend the first (and I'm incredibly glad I did). And I just picked up The Last Time We Say Goodbye  on a complete whim. 

Library

   

So, I had one  book on hold at the library and ended up picking out three extra graphic novels for me to read. I'm not sure that I understand I'm going to Peru in, like, two days. I am, however, slowly making my way through these books and am probably just going to keep them until I get home in two weeks.

Life Update

So, as you can tell from the title of this post, I have decided to go on a three month book-buying ban. In my personal opinion, I have been acquiring/buying more books than I can read. Also, I want to save my money for the books that I really want to read. Here comes the exception to my ban: I can buy two books in August and one of them will be The Rest of Us Just Live Here  by Patrick Ness. The other book can be whatever I have been really wanting, at this moment, it's Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy.  So, my STS posts will be more sparse these next three months. I will still get library books and the occasional book for review, but I won't be adding any more books to my shelves. 

Also, I will not be at my home for the subsequent two weeks. I have a handful of posts scheduled to go up while I am away, but I probably won't be able to reply to comments (Booo!) or comment on other blogger's posts (BOOO!). So, if you guys see a post that you REALLY think I should see when I get back, leave it in the comments section. 

Thank you for all of your support!

You Might Have Missed

The Opposite of Loneliness  Book Review

Tuesday Talks: Reading Influence

10 Books in My Summer Suitcase

#RYBSAT Wrap-Up
#FridayReads - Help Me Choose What to Read on the Plane!

Upcoming

(for the next two weeks)

My Month in Tomes: May 2015 (Monthly Wrap-Up)

Landline  by Rainbow Rowell - Book Review

5 Favorite Books So Far This Year

Taylor Swift Mash-Up Book Tag

Top 10 Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the 2nd Half of 2015

To All the Boys I've Loved Before  and P.S. I Still Love You  by Jenny Han: Joint Review

Elsewhere on the Internet

Josh Sundquist defaces my favorite Harry Potter book:



and I may or may not have had a heart attack while watching this. It was bad.

What books did you get this week or what do you think of the ones I've gotten? Also, give me tips on how to survive this book-buying ban!

Happy Reading!

#FridayReads - 29 May 2015 - I Need Your Help!

I'm leaving for Peru on Monday morning, and I still haven't decided what to bring with me for the plane ride (one there and one back). I thought about bringing two and putting one in my checked suitcase so that I can switch it out if I finish the one.

I'm halfway through P.S. I Still Love You , sans dustjacket because that's just how I am, and I will definitely finish that one today. I have an audiobook for when I am packing over the next few days, but I need a physical book to read on the plane. I need something gripping that won't put me to sleep.

The four books on the right are the ones I am really interested in right now. If you have read and loved (and want me to love) one of these books (or if you have a different book you think I should pick up for the plane ride) tell me down in the comments!

Happy Reading!

#RYBSAT Round 5: Wrap-Up

Books Completed

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 5 stars

Shatter Me (Review) - 4 stars

The Opposite of Loneliness (Review) - 4.5 stars

Landline (Goodreads Review) - 3.5 stars

Very Good Lives (Goodreads Review) - 5 stars

Books Unfinished

Prisoner of Night and Fog (24% completed)

The Mime Order (249 pages in)

What about my goals?

1. Finish the leftovers from Bout of Books - 3 Completed & 1 DNF

2. Read at least one complete novel - CHECK

3. Write reviews for novels read - CHECK

Posts

Announcement + Update Post

Did you participate in this round of #RYBSAT? If you did, tell me what you read down in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Top 10 Books In My Summer Suitcase

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish to share lists (because we love them) about books and bookish things.

**all goodreads links are available through the picture of the cover**

My family doesn't go to the beach.  Like, we go every five years . . . if that. We take cross country road trips. Therefore, this is my equivalent of "Top 10 Books in my Beach Bag" because I don't even think I own  a beach bag.

All of these are books that I own physical copies of and most of them are paperbacks or small, light hardbacks.

   

   

 

What books are in your summer suitcase or beach bag? Tell me down in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Tuesday Talks: Reading Influence

"Tuesday Talks" is a weekly meme hosted by Janie @ Bookworm Buddy on YouTube to share our thoughts and feelings on bookish topics. You can find the goodreads group here. 

"What was the biggest influence for your passion of reading?"

The earliest influence was definitely my family. Neither of my parents graduated college, so I always like to believe that they wanted the best for me and my older sister. So, my mom would make sure we were always reading, and in the times where we didn't have the money to keep up with our reading speed (and the six and a half year reading gap), our house would have as many library books as we could.

While that was the earliest  influence, it wasn't the most influential. It was my sister. It was seeing my sister devour Harry Potter. It was seeing her beg my mom to drive her to the local Kroger's to get the next book (because there was never a bookstore in our town until 5 years ago, so grocery stores sold Harry Potter . . . I think). Saying that, I want to say that Harry Potter was definitely one of the biggest influences in what is now my passion for reading. I saw the community that was created from this book. I saw the impact it made on people's lives. And I wouldn't have seen any of that without my sister.

My sister, because she was six and a half years older than I was, attended college while I was still in middle school. She kept a lot of her books at home, so I would sneak into her room when I got off of the school bus in the afternoon and pick a book off of her bookshelf. Naturally, these weren't really anything age appropriate for a seventh grader. I was the weirdo seventh grader with a Nicolas Sparks obsession.

So without even knowing it, my sister was the biggest influence without her even realizing it. Isn't it amazing the affect you can have on someone's life by not even knowing it?

What was the biggest influence for your passion of reading? Tell me down in the comments!

Happy Reading!

The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan - Book Review

Tragic Scale: 8.5 out of 10

Consistency Scale: 6 out of 10

Let me start with this: the writing is beautifully simple yet complicated while still being conversational yet reads like something a 21 year old would write. There are a few misplaced and missing commas, but you almost don't notice because it feels like Marina is sitting next to you in class and telling you about the beached whales outside her house or telling you a story about the girl who was left behind. 

Most of the time. 

Her writing style was very inconsistent, and there were a few essays or stories that I skimmed because it felt stiff. It felt like Marina was trying to prove she belonged at Yale with her stiff language. Albeit she was a young writer, so she hadn't yet "claimed her style" of writing. That doesn't mean it didn't bother me.

I felt connected, like I mentioned earlier, yet I felt connected not only to Marina but also her characters/people that she talks about. I felt that I knew the people that were helping save the beached whales, the exterminator, and the boy who was left behind.

Definitely read this in order.  I don't want to say that it's imperative, but it's imperative  that you read it in order. All of the stories and essays are bookended with two of the best pieces. The opening pieces "The Opposite of Loneliness" and "Cold Pastoral" set up how tragic Marina's story is (I almost cried; make sure to at least skim  the introduction and the acknoloegements; context is important, people) and the closing piece "Song for the Special" again reiterate how Marina left this life without reaching all of the goals and dreams that she set out for herself.

Content: PG-13

Language: Occasional

Violence: None

Sex: Mentions

The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories  by Marina Keegan

Published: 8 April 2014 by Scribner

Format - Pages: Hardback - 240

Source: Library

Genre: Nonfiction

Goodreads - My Goodreads Rating

Buy it! - Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble

An affecting and hope-filled posthumous collection of essays and stories from the talented young Yale graduate whose title essay captured the world's attention in 2012 and turned her into an icon for her generation.

Marina Keegan's star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York International Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at the New Yorker.  Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.

As her family, friends, and classmates, deep in grief, joined to create a memorial service for Marina, her unforgettable last essay for the Yale Daily News , "The Opposite of Loneliness" went viral, receiving more than 1.4 million hits. She had struck a chord.

Even though she was just twenty-two when she died, Marina left behind a rich, expansive trove of prose that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. The Opposite of Loneliness  is an assemblage of Marina's essays and stories that, like The Last Lecture , articulates the universal struggle that all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to make an impact on the world.

Have you read The Opposite of Loneliness?  You should. You definitely should.

Happy Reading!

Stacking the Shelves [15]: #BookOutletHaul + Bookish Tote Bags!

Stacking the shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and it's all about sharing the books that have come into your possession throughout the week, whether it books added to your collection, ebooks, library books, etc. Sunday post is a weekly meme  hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer where bloggers can recap their week, showcase books, and share news.

**all goodreads links are available through the picture of the cover**

Book Outlet

 

I can never resist a BookOutlet sale, even a small one -like the one they had for Mother's Day. So I picked up two books that I have wanted to pick up for a while. I have already read and reviewed Landline  (it will be up in a few weeks because I need to post even though I will be out of the country). And I want to read The Enchanted  probably in June because I've heard some really wonderful things. 

Books a Million

 

I went in to Books a Million to pick up A Game of Thrones  so that I could read it on the plane-ride to Peru. It, however, was like two dollars more than the amount of cash I had on hand -I didn't want to use my debit card- so I just went to the bargain section and picked up these two beauties that I've been wanting. They were eight dollars. 

Library

I finished the audiobook that I was listening to from my library, and -because it was (is) RYBSAT- I wasn't planning on getting another one. I was, however, missing audiobooks, so I browsed what was avaliable. I've heard fantastic things about this one, and so far I am absolutely loving it.

Life Update

So, I am going to be eighteen . . . like, now actually! Today is my birthday! Whoop! But, I am -obviously- very excited, even though I never really get excited over birthdays. But, I am going to Peru the first week of June (Yay!), which was my birthday present and graduation present (and let's be honest, probably my Christmas present) from my parents! But, before I go, there is a 20% off + free shipping sale on society 6 until the 25th, and I want to get a tote bag! And I want you guys to help me pick which to get! Here are the three I have it narrowed down to these three:

  

(clicking on the picture will take you to the purchase page)

Help Me Choose!

Read More Books

The Tardis

Tardis Blueprint

Poll Maker

So, please vote on that because I am torn and am too poor to buy all three! I am so indecisive that it's ridiculous. 

You Might Have Missed

The Rearranged Life Tour + Giveaway + Bout of Books 13 Wrap-Up + #RYBSAT Goals and Participation + #RYBSAT Update Post + Top 10 Summer Re-Reads + Top 5 Debut Novels + The Help Review + Shatter Me Review

How did I do all of that? And why?

Upcoming

The Opposite of Loneliness Review

#RYBSAT Wrap-Up

Tuesday Talks: Reading Influence

What books have you gotten this week?  Have you read any of the books that I just hauled? Tell me down in the comments below!

Happy Reading!